


Skyward

by sinestrated



Series: Skyward [2]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Animal Transformation, Implied Mpreg, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-26
Updated: 2011-10-26
Packaged: 2017-12-16 05:01:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/858087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinestrated/pseuds/sinestrated
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Posted to LiveJournal 10/2011, uploaded to AO3 6/2013]</p><p>AU. It’s fall, and Jensen and Jared are preparing to raise a family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skyward

Fall had always been Jensen's favorite time of year. Even as a youngling (and that seemed so long ago, now), he had always loved the autumn season, the gradual softening of summer's rainbow splashes as the world slowly settled itself into stillness, one last calm before the cool silence of winter. The land in autumn was truly a sight to behold, the crimson reds and fiery oranges, the bright yellows and earthy browns, all swirling together in a myriad of color that called to his animal instincts like the sweetest of songs.

He could remember in the old days, catching a sharp updraft that bit like winter but soothed like spring, racing his brother over glassy waters and through red-rocked canyons, the wind a cool comfort beneath his wings. He could remember his brother's bright eyes as he'd turned back to smile—always faster, always stronger, alway _more_ —as they'd woven round mountains and through misty clouds, autumn's spirit chasing them like the echo of a laugh. They'd been so carefree, so happy back then, before all the…well. Just before.

Inwardly Jensen sighed, allowing the wind to angle him down toward the trees below. Nothing would come of dwelling in the past now, he chided himself, loosening his claws and allowing the coarsely-woven pack to slip from his talons as he neared the top of the canopy. The past was over; what's done was done. He had a future now.

His landing destroyed a couple of trees, trunks splintering with a groan and sending leaves flying everywhere, but Jensen counted it a victory. His brother used to flatten entire forests, just because he could, but Jensen had never been one for sport. Just one more thing that had eventually, inevitably, driven them apart, he supposed.

He was neatly human by the time his feet hit solid ground. Taking a moment to straighten up and smooth down his clothes, picking leaves out of his hair, he quickly located the pack he'd dropped, hefting its ponderous weight over his shoulder, and set off deeper into the woods.

The cave wasn't difficult to find, not after having visited so many times before. The entrance was quite well-concealed amidst a pile of fallen rocks, nothing but a slanted crack in the face of the cliff that a man could barely slip through, but Jensen knew the cavern inside was spacious, cool and, most importantly, easy to defend. They had been truly lucky to have found this place; most all the good spots got taken early in the summer, else were passed down from generation to generation. Jensen wouldn't have it any other way, though. This place wa _theirs_ —it was their home, and it was perfect.

A familiar warning rumble sounded out the instant he set foot past the entrance, but Jensen waved it off easily, shifting the pack on his back as his eyes quickly adjusted to the minimal light. When he spoke, his voice echoed strangely off the thick stone walls. "Relax, love. It's just me."

The rumbling stopped immediately and Jensen smiled to himself, picking his way slowly around dips in the ground and still-glistening mineral formations. The cave was indeed roomy, but it actually didn't extend back that far. Within moments, Jensen reached the rearmost alcove, and what he saw there sent warmth flowing down his spine in a slow caress.

A magnificent, dark-skinned dragon lay curled at the back of the alcove, long reptilian body nestled comfortably in the middle of a soft, circular pile of mud and grass. Its skin was a dark, smoky gray, like an angry thundercloud in the midst of a storm, and its scaled neck, a full six feet long, was currently flopped almost lazily over its two clawed front legs. Its wings were at the moment tucked close to its body, long spiny tail curled protectively along the edge of the nest, but there was no tension in its spine as Jensen approached, no fear or apprehension in the slitted golden eyes as it regarded Jensen in silence.

Jensen slid his pack from his shoulders with a careless shrug. "Brought you lunch," he said, and had the satisfaction of seeing the dragon's eyes brighten. "A few salmon, and one random deer I snatched on the way here." As he spoke, he shook the pack, dumping its bloody contents onto the cavern floor. "And don't worry, I kept the liver just like you asked, you spoiled princess."

The dragon snorted at him, a burst of hot air as its nostrils flared, but it bumped Jensen's shoulder gently with its nose, warm and affectionate, before promptly turning and snapping up two salmon in one bite.

"You're welcome." Jensen grinned, settling on the edge of the nest and running a gentle hand down the dragon's spine. "Hey. Let me see them?"

The dragon didn't even hesitate, promptly lifting one of its wings and shifting over in the nest, all the while never pausing in the consumption of its meal. Jensen swallowed, a surge of pride and endless love rushing warm through him as he slowly reached out to run loving fingers over the two leathery, cream-colored eggs lying in the middle of the nest. They were each about a foot long, warm to the touch, and when Jensen closed his eyes and concentrated, he could feel movement beneath the soft shells, the little beings inside shifting and kicking out in response to his presence as if already eager to play. It was nothing short of miraculous—this was the life they had created together, the life he thought he would never get to have. A soft laugh escaped him in a breathless chuckle of disbelief. To think that, only a little while ago, he had thought himself condemned to be alone for the rest of his life—if he even lived that long.

Next to him, the crunching of bones came to a sudden halt. There came a soft rush of air, a soothing caress as thing _shifted_ , and suddenly warm fingers were wrapping firm and sure around his own, calloused to the touch and yet so loving. Jensen looked up into blue-green eyes, human eyes, and smiled, a bit shakily. "Hey, Jay."

His mate returned the smile, brushing a soft, reverent kiss over Jensen's knuckles. Jared was completely naked in this form, having long dismissed the need for clothing when it became apparent he wasn't leaving the nest anytime soon. His hair was also getting longer, already past his shoulders, Jensen noted—he would have to trim it next time, although he doubted Jared cared. It wasn't exactly something Jared had to worry about when he spent all day as a dragon curled protectively around his clutch.

"Everything all right?" Jared asked then, although the way his smile didn't fade told Jensen he knew it wasn't serious.

Jensen kissed him in response, a soft brush of lips, warm and loving and not nearly enough. "I just…" Another breathless laugh, whispered secrets that Jared was more than happy to swallow. "I'm so damne _happy_ ight now, Jay. More than I thought I'd ever be."

Jared reached one hand up to run sleek fingers through Jensen's short hair. His voice, when he spoke, was absent of judgment, only genuinely curious. "More than you deserve?"

Jensen didn't answer immediately. It was a worry that had been eating at him since the whole thing started, ever since he'd first allowed Jared to take him to his bed, the life debt he owed the younger dragon hanging over his head like a shroud. That gray had lifted in time, of course, that coarse sense of obligation, the numbness in his heart after so many years of solitude, slowly thawing out in the face of Jared's warmth and kindness, the love he seemed incapable of exhausting. Jensen knew that finding Jared was nothing less than a blessing from the gods, and he lived every day overwhelmingly grateful for this second chance.

But did he deserve it? Was he worthy of this happiness, this sense of peace, after the crimes he had committed? He was a murderer, had burned his own brother to dust and caused so many to suffer and hurt. After everything he'd done, did he really deserve a happily ever after?

In front of him, Jared shifted, big hands coming up to frame his face. When he smiled at Jensen, it was with a look usually reserved for those particularly petulant fledglings who refused to leave the nest, afraid of an inevitable fall to the ground below. "There's only one right answer to that question, you know," he said.

And really, Jensen thought, Jared was right. He'd paid his penance, had endured years, centuries of punishment for what he'd done. Maybe the gods had led him to Jared for a reason. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to let go and see if he could fly.

Looking up, he set one palm against the middle of Jared's bare chest, feeling the strong heartbeat beneath, his mate's life force fused and entwined so strongly with his own that they were more one than two. And, as with so many other things where Jared was concerned, it was, all of a sudden, so very easy.

"No," he said then, smiling at his mate. "Not as long as I have you."

Jared grinned right back, diving in for another quick kiss. "And you're damned lucky to have me too," he said, even as the hands that wandered over Jensen's shoulders and back suggested the possessiveness ran both ways. "A Silverstreak is a pretty fine catch, you know."

"Better than a Colossus?" Jensen asked, kissing his mate, flicking his tongue into Jared's mouth as he let his hands slide slowly lower and lower down Jared's body.

"Mm," his mate answered, nuzzling lightly below his ear before turning to plant wet, open-mouthed kisses along the curve of Jensen's jawline. "Jury's still out on that one."

"I'm sure it is." To Jensen, though, it was really no contest. Everyone else thought Jared was the lucky one—the Colossus bloodline was nothing short of royalty, a thing of legend, the Lordian War fought and decided between Jensen and his brother alone, and to bond with a Colossus was to bond with the very force that shaped the world—but Jensen knew they were all wrong. It wasn't that Jared was a Silverstreak, though they were relatively rare in their own right. It was that Jared wa _Jared_ , and Jensen still woke up most days in awe of this beautiful, wonderful being that, through some divine stroke of luck, he had somehow managed to claim, and keep.

They moved from the nest, settling against the back wall of cool rock, and Jared let out a soft groan that really should not have gone straight to Jensen's groin as fast as it did, stretching muscles sore from being curled up in the same position for so long. "Gods, I'm starting to cramp up everywhere. Next tim _you're_ ncubating whil _I_ o out for food."

Jensen just grinned, allowing his mate to straddle his hips. "You know we'd have to find a much bigger cave for that," he answered.

"True." Jared shifted again, but this time for an entirely different reason, and Jensen couldn't hold back a soft moan as their cocks brushed together, causing his mate's smile to turn into a smirk. "And now that I think about it, you'd probably crush the eggs, what wit _your_ igantic rear."

"I have it on good authority that you happen to be hopelessly in love with my rear, thank you very much," Jensen answered, and Jared barked a breathless laugh.

"Yeah," he said, eyes bright, "and maybe a little more than that."

They kissed again, hot and wet and perfect, and Jared hummed low in his throat when Jensen's hand found its way to the small of his back, nimble fingers teasing ever lower. "Mm. Jensen, the kids are watching." Even as he said it, though, he spread his strong thighs further over Jensen's lap to grant him better access, and Jensen just grinned.

"Gotta start teaching them early," he answered, dipping his middle finger down to press gently against Jared's entrance, just to see his mate moan and push greedily back into the touch, hard, flushed cock starting to leave slick trails along the inside of Jensen's thigh. "Natural breeding instinct and all."

Jared gave him a slightly withered look through long bangs, even as he started to rock in Jensen's lap, skin beginning to take on a dark pink flush of arousal. "You realize I can't have another clutch till next year, right?"

At that, Jensen's grin turned downright predatory, thinking of all the times in the past when he'd had to pull out of Jared to ejaculate in order to avoid fertilizing his mate. "Exactly," he said, swallowing Jared's (fondly) exasperated sigh as he tipped him backward onto the floor.

Afterwards, they lay tangled together in a jumbled heap of limbs, sweaty and exhausted and completely content, and Jared blew a breath out the corner of his mouth, turning to nuzzle beneath the line of Jensen's strong jaw. "In a damp cave, with half a dead deer and the kids not two feet away," he muttered, though Jensen could feel the curve of his smile. "We are awesome role models."

Jensen just shrugged, bringing one hand up to run soothing fingers through the tangled strands of his mate's hair, scritching gently at Jared's scalp until he was practically purring in contentment. They lay there for another moment, the silence as cozy-warm as any blanket, before Jensen turned to Jared at last, warm breath rustling his mate's hair. "Hey," he whispered, accentuating with a brief brush of lips over Jared's temple. "Come fly with me? It's beautiful outside."

Jare _hm_ -ed softly, no real indication of leaning one way or the other. "I don't know. Shouldn't leave the kids by themselves."

"They'll be fine," Jensen pressed, already feeling something in his heart stirring, unfolding and coming alive at the thought of feeling the wind beneath his wings once again. "'Sides, you sit on them too long and we'll end up with two boys. That's way too much masculinity in a family, Jay."

Jared snorted at that, but didn't disagree, remarking, "I guess it has been getting kind of warm in here," as he slowly got up to a sitting position. When he looked back over toward the nest, though, there was a clear flash of uncertainty in his eyes and Jensen quickly leaned forward, pulling his mate into another kiss.

"Don't worry," he said. "My scent's all over this forest. No one would dare approach."

He meant it nonchalantly, but when Jared turned to look at him with bright eyes, he knew instantly what his mate was going to say, and continued before Jared could even open his mouth, "I know. I know it makes you angry that the other dragons still fear me, and I know you want a future where they won't anymore. I do, too, and I think it'll happen one day. Just…I'm okay with it for right now, Jay. If it'll keep the kids safe, then I'm okay with it."

For a moment it seemed like Jared was ready to argue the point, but then something else won out, perhaps Jensen's logic, perhaps his parental instincts, or perhaps the fact that he was jus _Jared_ ho placed his trust in Jensen so deep and absolute that it scared Jensen most days—either way, in the end, Jared just shrugged, giving Jensen a slightly lopsided smile. "Yeah, okay," he said, and that was that.

Together they collected a few armfuls of grass, Jared leaning down to brush a kiss over each egg before they carefully covered them both up. With their children safely tucked away, Jensen turned to Jared, offering his hand. "Shall we?"

When they finally stepped out the entrance to the cave, Jared immediately winced, bringing one hand up to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight. "Gods, that's so much brighter than I remember. Have I really been stuck inside for four weeks?"

Jensen just shrugged. "We're halfway there," he answered, "and it'll be worth it in the end."

"Yeah." Jared smiled at him. "It already is." He yawned and took a moment to stretch his arms behind his back, seemingly unaware of the show he was putting on, before abruptly straightening and pointing at a spot over Jensen's left shoulder, eyes wide. "Holy— _what's that?_ "

A bolt of fear shocking through him, Jensen spun to look, poised for an attack—but then abruptly Jared's bright laughter sounded out, an instant before thing _shifted_ gain, and Jensen turned back just in time to see the beautiful gray dragon launch itself into the air with a beat of powerful wings, turning to regard him with golden eyes bright with mirth.

_You've always been so easy, Jensen._

Jensen smiled _I'll show you easy,_ e thought, feeling the fire erupt within him as he changed, the dragon inside unfolding with a roar as everything shifted, the world becoming nothing more than earth and wind, mountains and lakes and swirling fall colors, and his mate who called him from the depths of his soul as Jared turned and headed for the endless sky above.

_Follow me,_ e whispered, and Jensen did, as he always had, as he forever would. For eternity, for keeps. For Jared.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Regarding translations:** All my works, including this one, can be translated without first asking my express permission. I ask only that you credit me as the original author and provide a link back to the original work. For anything other than translations, please ask first. Thanks.


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